STOCKTON (CBS13) — Spring’s first green vegetable in the valley is celebrating another year in Stockton in an event that didn’t look likely after last year.

When Stockton announced the end of the Asparagus Festival after 29 years, a local farmer came to the rescue with a new plan.

Now with a new organizer, a new location and a few new attractions, Friday marked the beginning of the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival.

Tony Noceti, the man who rescued the festival when Stockton announced it wasn’t going to happen this year, made a gamble to move it to the county fairgrounds and give it a new name.

A short time later, the old festival workers started calling, and he was happy to hear from them. The original leaders also brought in new faces.

The new festival’s focus is still on helping local charities. The Stockton Asparagus Festival didn’t make enough last year to significantly help several charities. This year, Noceti guaranteed $4 an hour for volunteers.

His other goal was to make sure more people in the community could come.

“We lowered the cost of admissions, parking, food vendors. We really worked hard at making it affordable for families to get here,” he said.

The festival runs through Sunday at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds.

STOCKTON-The San Joaquin Asparagus Festival has been revived this year. As FOX40 has reported, private promoters have taken over and are expecting big things for 2015.

The location will be a major difference. The San Joaquin Asparagus Festival will be held at Stockton’s Fairgrounds, not downtown.

Organizers are busy getting rides, food and other activities ready for the grand opening.

“We have a lot more places for people to sit down while they eat their food. I know that was one of the issues in the past. We have a lot of parking out here, as well,” Heather Parejko, the Executive Assistant with the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival, told FOX40 on Thursday.

Carol and Tony Noceti announced Summer 2014 that they would be taking over the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival. It was just months after organizers called it quits, citing rising costs and declining attendance.

Organizers for the 30th annual festival said 2015 will be different. The San Joaquin Asparagus Festival opens up Friday and will run through Sunday.

Asparagus Festival returns to San Joaquin County

7:31 PM PDT April 10, 2015

Excitement & Momentum Builds for the Annual San Joaquin Asparagus Festival to be held on April 17, 18 & 19 at the Fairgrounds in Stockton

Stockton, CA – January 26, 2015…With the calendar year flipping over to 2015 and the time creeping ever so closer, the anticipation & excitement for a new chapter in the annual San Joaquin Asparagus Festival is growing more & more.

“The momentum really is building and the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival is certainly coming to life with each passing day,” said Tony Noceti of the Noceti Group Inc. “Now that the holidays are over it is definitely full steam ahead for what will be the 30th annual Asparagus festival held in San Joaquin County. We’ve had lots of phone calls and inquiries so that’s always a good thing.”

In the past 29 years, over $5.9 million dollars has been contributed back to local charities directly from the Stockton Asparagus Festival. This would not be possible without the continued help of the community. The first San Joaquin Asparagus Festival held under Noceti Group Inc. will be presented on April 17, 18 & 19 at the Fairgrounds in Stockton.

“All the non-profit groups mean everything to the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival and we’re working with a number of them. That’s always been an integral part of the festival and will remain so. All of the volunteers and entertainment lineup is coming along well. We feel that the Fairgrounds is a perfect venue for the festival and everyone that attends it will see why. We have plenty of room and feel the overall experience will be as good as it’s ever been by having it here.”

The San Joaquin Asparagus Festival draws a considerable amount of visitors in the spring that come together to enjoy the fun, savor the food, and catch up with old acquaintances, all while making new friends and memories. The Asparagus Festival generates its revenue from sponsorship, vendor participation fees, ticket sales, entry fees at the fairgrounds, souvenir sales and food & refreshment sales. The Festival strives to keep events economical in keeping it accessible to the community.

The Asparagus Festival was created in 1985 by a small group of Stockton residents led by Gordon Medlin and Joe Travale, with the backing of Bank of Stockton President Robert Eberhardt. A year later, the first festival was held at Oak Grove Regional Park along Eight Mile Road. In 2003, it moved downtown along the waterfront and enjoyed huge success for several years.
The Festival offers everything from food to fun. Enjoy Asparagus Alley, the Health & Wellness Fair, the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival Parade, a Car Show, Draft Beer and Wine Pavilion, Kids Zone with carnival rides and games, Petting Zoo and so much more. With San Joaquin County being an important part of the Agriculture Industry that will be a major focus at the Asparagus Festival as well.

“San Joaquin County is a melting pot for agriculture and we’re going to be adding in a little more AG flavor this year. With the venue change we have the capability to truly showcase the Agriculture Industry to the best of our abilities.”

Tony and Carol Noceti created the Noceti Group, Inc. to provide quality family motorsports entertainment in 2009. The company resurrected the Stockton 99 Speedway and renamed it to The New Stockton 99 Speedway. In 2013, Noceti Group Inc. expanded its race tracks to include the Stockton Dirt Track and the Little Stockton 99 Go Kart/ Motorcycle racing facility. The Stockton Dirt Track has established itself to be one of the premier dirt tracks in Northern California.

In July of 2014, Noceti Group Inc. announced their involvement in keeping the Asparagus Festival in Stockton, California. The Noceti family is determined to preserve the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival and give back to the community, in hopes to produce a festival that's bigger and better than ever.

“Visitors to the Asparagus Festival have always been treated to a large variety of entertainment, cooking demonstrations, shopping, children’s activities, and arguably the best food offered at any festival around. Events such as these are very important to communities all around the country and the Asparagus Festival is definitely a staple in the San Joaquin valley. We want to help build this up to the level where it can and should be. Right now we’re just counting down the days.”

Gearing up for a fresh new festival!

October 24, 2014 - By Heather Parejko
STOCKTON—Tony and Carol Noceti, with the Noceti Group, Inc., is proud to announce some new and exciting community entertainment coming to the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds for the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival, April 17, 18 & 19, 2015. For three days, the fairgrounds will be exploding with fresh delicious asparagus cuisine, fun family activities, live music and community performances in support of local charities.

The San Joaquin County Fairgrounds offers a vast area to provide many new ideas for 2015, including, but not limited to: unique appetizing asparagus refreshments, revised admission prices, kids zone with a carnival, games, petting zoo and free activities for the kids, prominent musical acts performing throughout the weekend, a community stage focusing on a variety of local performers and an Asparagus eating competition. The importance of the agricultural presence and history of asparagus and a health & wellness fair promoting preventative health for those in need, are some other ideas for the festival.

The intense support from the community and local groups is the driving force behind bringing family and friends from Stockton and the surrounding areas together and experience the new face of the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival.

We proudly look forward to benefitting regional charitable organizations with their hard work and dedication providing services to the community. With a new face and brand-new appearance, the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival is sure to be a huge success!

San Joaquin Asparagus Festival organizers high on hopes, light on specifics

July 23, 2014 - By Central Valley Business Journal
STOCKTON—The San Joaquin County couple who want to revive the asparagus festival talked to reporters Wednesday morning about their plans.

Tony and Carol Noceti said the success they have had with the Stockton 99 Speedway gives them the experience they need to get their San Joaquin Asparagus Festival going, even though they have no sponsorships or business partnerships lined up, little equipment and just nine months to organize and publicize the event. They want to have the new event next April 17-19.

The Nocetis said the Stockton Asparagus Festival has been “one of the crown jewels of Stockton” and that it was important to them to keep that legacy going.

The Stockton Asparagus Festival folded last spring after 29 years because of falling attendance and financial problems. It was a particular blow to the nonprofit community which earned thousands of dollars by having volunteers work the event.

Mayor Anthony Silva said the Nocetis’ initiative was laudable.

“We need residents to step up and solve problems,” Silva said.

He added that he has been to races at Stockton 99 Speedway and that “they’re always packed … and always well organized.”

The Noceti Group has a five-year contract to hold the festival at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, with two five-year options to extend the contract. While they will lose the ambience of the waterfront, they will not have to deal with the city to close streets or pay for police and other public services and there will be plenty of parking.

The Nocetis praised the board members of the former festival and said they plan to reach out to them for advice on making the festival work.

“(It will be) a passing of the baton from them to us. Hopefully it will be that way,” said Carol Noceti. “We don’t want to reinvent the wheel.”

She said the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival would be run as a for-profit venture, although they intend to keep the volunteer model the Stockton Asparagus Festival used, in which nonprofit groups provided volunteers and then were given a cut of the event’s proceeds. She said that while the festival would not file for nonprofit status, they did not expect to reap a large profit.

Local Stockton Promoters Revive Asparagus Festival

July 23, 2014 - By Fox 40 Lonnie Wong
STOCKTON—Local auto race promoters say they will put on a 30th version of the Stockton Asparagus Festival. Two months ago organizers of the iconic event called it quits after several years of declining attendance and rising costs.

The Noceti Group, successful promoters of auto racing at the San Joaquin County fairgrounds in Stockton, says it will move the festival from downtown Stockton to the fairgrounds.

“This is a jewel here, it belongs here, it needs to stay here,” said Tony Noceti in a press conference at the fairgrounds.

It was just a few weeks ago that another private promoter attempted to continue a Stockton tradition by reviving the defunct San Joaquin County Fair. The so-called San Joaquin County Family Fair drew criticism from vendors who say the Next Level Concert Group lied to them and did not pay fees they were owed. The heavily promoted 4th of July fireworks show as cancelled because the fireworks company wasn’t paid in advance.

Festival boosters say a local promoter will make all the difference.

“Every time I’ve gone to one of his events, there are two things. Number one it’s always packed…number two it’s always well-organized,” said Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva.

The husband and wife team of Carol and Tony Noceti say they have local farming roots and will consult with the non-profit groups involved with the festival and who will continue to share in the earnings.

“We are going to run it like a business. We are promoters, but we want to give the public a heck of a good show,” said Tony Noceti.

They are bringing in partners to beef up the entertainment and will feature other kinds of agricultural exhibits. However they insist that asparagus will still be king. They say they are anxious to continue a signature event that defines the city of Stockton.

They also say the fairgrounds has plenty of space and lots of parking, which might have hurt attendance at the the downtown location of the previous festivals. Still it will be a gamble for the Noceti’s. A well attended auto race may draw 10,000 people. The Asparagus Festival at its height drew over 100 thousand visitors over a three-day run.

Asparagus Festival to Continue in 2015

July 22, 2014 - By Fox 40 Greg Cotta
STOCKTON—The Stockton Asparagus Festival will be moved and will be taken over by private promoters starting next year.

The San Joaquin County Asparagus Festival will be held at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, on April 17, 18, and 19, 2015. The festival will be owned and produced by Carl and Tony Noceti of the Noceti Group, Inc.

The Noceti family have been farmers in the San Joaquin Valley since 1906. They also own and run the Stockton 99 Speedway, and run the dirt track at the fairgrounds.

According to information released this week, the new group believes they can bring a stronger advertising campaign and better entertainment. They say the festival will continue with all of its traditions along with a few new enhancements.